“What are you doing?”
Dropping everything, she turned to see Leon posed in the doorway. How long he’d been standing there, she wasn’t sure.
“Uh... I...just wanted to—”
“Don’t tell me you just wandered in. This room is behind four locked doors. Don’t lie to me. I have half a mind to turn you in and so help me if I find out everyone is right about you.” Leon was far from kidding.
“Please don’t. It’s just you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she pleaded.
Leon was still a member of the Guard and she now knew he was clearly one for a reason. Wings halfway open and posture up and sharp, she could feel the threat in the air.
“You better hope I do,” he hissed.
“Okay, okay. Look, you know my story I’m sure. I go to a school in Alaska, the place I was before just before I came back to the island. When I was there, Adalyn—Samuel’s daughter—showed up. She warned me that Patrick Smith was coming to get us—to get me. And I thought it wasn’t a problem, but then Evelyn told me that Patrick did nothing but slip past island security. I mean even Perry told me he was an assassin.”
Leon’s face didn’t change for a few agonizing moments. Finally some flicker went through his brown eyes.
“Patrick Smith?”
“Yeah. You know, escaped from prison awhile back?” Avery remembered his file and reached for it. Leon took it back out of her hands.
“I believe you,” he said. “But this isn’t something you should be worried about. Or having to sneak around for.”
“The Guard isn’t here to protect me, right? What else am I supposed to do?”
Leon slid the file underneath his arm and scrunched up his face. Finally he settled on something.
“I’ll see what I can do. I’m going to walk you out of here. I won’t mention it until I know more. But first, just tell me what Adalyn told you. Exactly what she told you.”
Avery had to admit, she actually did feel guilty doing it. While her conscious mind screamed at her how absolutely right she was, her gut felt like lead. She let out a breath and urged herself to focus. She might have been going back on her word to Mason, but some basic research shouldn’t have been huge, right?
Finding no way out, Avery began.
Eighteen
People stared. For the day of commencement of a Prince, they didn’t stare up at the balcony awaiting his presence or at the council members who hovered in the corners. They stared at her. Or at least Avery certainly felt like it. Ten steps into the bustling highway and the prying eyes made her skin crawl. Sweeping into the nearest corner, she gasped for breath.
Despite the fact that the press had been arriving for weeks, the island had still transformed overnight. Delegates, lobbyists, and politicians stormed the grand hall of the capitol building. It seemed impossible to fill the vast room until she stood here now, crammed against the wall, and watching every passing eye stick on her a moment too long. The noise deafening in here, it was impossible to hear if their words were directed at her.
Avery tried not to let the anxiety get to her. She had barely slept recently and her encounter with Leon had only made it worse. He’d been the first to truly listen to her story and not dismiss it at the get-go. But that wasn’t what concerned her. “I’ll look into it,” he said, and nothing more.
A rogue harpie wing striking her, Avery shut her eyes. Coming from Alaska, she was no fan of crowds.
“Ms. Avery.” Leon’s voice managed to sneak through the rest and she opened her eyes to spot the man a few feet away. Even amongst his own tall race, he stood out taller and bigger than the rest. The obnoxious crowd actually split for him.
Avery dropped her hands and curled her fingers into fists. She hadn’t realized she’d been chewing the nails down to the quick.
“I figured I’d be seeing you. What’s up?” she asked after he showed. Though they were very different, Avery was beginning to grasp how the people thought around here.
“I think I may take you to speak with Mason.”
Her eyes lit up. Mason had been swept behind closed doors on the council’s floor for the preparation of his speech. She itched to see him but didn’t have the nerve to bust in alone.
“That’d be awesome. Can we go up there?”
Leon’s stone face fell.
“What’s wrong?”
Leon shook his head, careful to regain his stature. They still stood in the middle of the grand hall. Even while they had a foot radius of space around them, they were far from alone.
“The Guard is in place. Times like this are dangerous. So their formation cannot be truly bothered.”
“Why are you down here then?” Avery asked instantly. Her heart sped up and her mind caught on. “You’re in the Guard right, why are you not up there with the rest of them?”
This made him frown.
“They chose to leave me out of the formation. It is true that I am younger than the rest. I don’t know head councilman Stern like they do,” he admitted, but never missed a beat. “But I think Mason may wish to see you. And perhaps when I am up there, I may offer my assistance.”
Catching onto his clear motivation with this, Avery agreed. Based on the brightness of the sun and the agitation of the loitering crowd, the speech would be starting sooner than later. Time running low, Avery maneuvered backwards and glanced up. The particular floor was mostly invisible, but Leon could get them there quickly as soon as he could take off.
“Let’s go.” She finally nudged the harpie who had gone still with his eyes set off in some muse.
“One more thing. One more big thing...” Leon leaned forward and whispered this part. “I looked into Patrick Smith. I think there might be more truth to Evelyn’s words than I originally assumed. And the council knows where Patrick is. They know what happened to Eva.”
She’d gone stiff.
“What’s happening then? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. But come on, we have to go now. The speech is starting in less than an hour.” He gripped her and cleared them through the swarming people quicker than a pro-football player. His wings snapped open and the floor disappeared below their feet. He took them to the very top level—the bedroom she’d stayed in upon her arrival. The security increased the higher they flew and it hadn’t been as easy as Leon had promised reaching the top floor. Though Avery was at a visual disadvantage, she could feel him stop abruptly and hover in the air. Series of harsh whispers sounded from every different Guard around the room. It took an extra few minutes for their feet to set on the ground and Avery broke free. Orienting herself, she did a quick size up of the hallway before hurrying down to the first corner. Leon remained on her tail and stopped her with a hand when two Guard approached them.
“Why is she here?” the left one snapped.
Leon maneuvered quickly in front of Avery. The other two fixated their stares on him and spoke again with the same dark voice.
“You shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“Prince Mason still ordered she be tended to. I am following orders.” Something in his voice had waivered when the left Guard took a step forward.
“You had your orders from Stern, you’d have been wise to listen to them.”
Feeling boxed in now between the triangle of massive figures and the wall at her back, Avery looked for an escape. Mason would probably be in their old room behind lock and key. It was down one more twist of the halls and a single door, but an ugly feeling in the atmosphere told her not to try it.
Leon had even taken a step back, clearing Avery and approaching the exit.
“Ask Prince Mason,” Leon said.
The left Guard twitched. And then he lashed out. Shockingly quick, he struck Leon with a deafening crack. Avery slapped her mouth to quiet the scream that followed. The single hit spurred an explosion of motion. The right Guard jumped in and Leon was knocked from his feet. The three went down, Leon on the bottom of the pile.
Someone
snatched Avery from behind, the distinct touch of claws at her skin, and tugged. Whirling away from the grotesque scene playing out in front of her, she became to face to face with Stern. He beat her to the punch.
“He does not wish to see you. Return to your room.” His tone matched the crinkle of his brow.
Avery’s mouth flopped for an answer, but Stern jerked her backwards and steered her for the exit.
“I am ordering you to stay there.” He kept hissing out orders. His grip tight on her shoulder, Avery struggled to stop moving.
“Let me go,” Avery gasped. “You’re hurting me.”
He only shoved harder. This time her feet tangled and she stumbled forward. Something abruptly pulled in her chest and at a loss for air, she gasped. Free hand smacking her heart, it actually took her a moment to remember the feeling. The Willow magic.
“Avery.”
Her chin snapped up and she spotted Mason. He’d come around the corner flanked with the remaining Guard members. Even in the crowd, he watched her. Stern’s grip softened, but never disappeared.
“What are you doing here?” Mason asked immediately. His eyes stayed on her face, but now in his presence, she yanked her elbow free. The skin throbbed.
“I need to talk to you, alone.”
She didn’t gather the reaction she’d expected. Mason shook his head.
“What? To try to warn me about the political nightmare you’ve created for me on the eve of my commencement. To make people think we’re dealing with the Band or that you have evil magic in your veins?”
“I—uh....wait what? What are you talking about?”
Mason tore something from a pocket and smashed it into the wall besides her. The violent gesture made her flinch. Only after he smoothed out the paper on the wall did she even notice what he had done. She spotted the bold headlines first and her heart dropped. ‘Beautician to the Prince’s consort tells all.’
Avery didn’t know what the article details, suddenly too afraid to read the words. She’d told Evelyn little, but then she’d told Evelyn too much.
“I trusted her,” Avery spat out.
“You disobeyed me.”
“Mason, please let me explain.”
“I asked you one thing, Avery. I made you swear that you would stay out of it. And yet you believe her lies, walk right into her trap, and tell her everything. They know you broke into the police station. You’re looking for Patrick. How guilty that makes you look…” His words started to jumble. Mason dropped the paper. His face was white. “You lied to my face. You are not coping well here.”
Avery’s whole body shook. No words escaped her.
“I’m going to have someone take you home. Or wherever you want to go.”
“Mason,” she blurted. He backed off. Stiff and cold, no sentiment showed in his green eyes.
“I’m rescinding my invitation. For your own good. And for mine. This is goodbye, Avery.”
“When will I see you again?”
Mason didn’t answer. One of the Guard members snatched her from behind and threw her off balance. The world was a blur. Mason had gone. Avery fought blindly but couldn’t break the grip until her feet hit the ground of the bottom floor. She fell to her knees. The Guard member released her, a sneer on his face as he left her there.
Her feet wandered forward blindly. The emotion crept up on her slowly until she shut her bedroom door behind her. Then it struck her like an avalanche.
She went straight for the bed, dropping onto the springs with a painful flop. Her mind branched out in a million different directions but the overwhelming theme amongst it made her want to scream into the pillows. Mason couldn’t have been serious. Right? She just snuck into the file room. Throughout their tumultuous relationship, that hardly seemed like something that could be the breaking point. But then maybe there was more to it.
The tears finally did escape, but with them, her anger grew. Sitting up in the bed, she pounded her fists against bed frame. It did little to splinter the wood, but her knuckles would sport purple and blue shortly.
It was this place. Returning to the island was to blame. And she’d done everything she was supposed to. She’d dressed up, played the part, and stayed locked in some room alone at night. For nothing. She wasn’t going to accept that.
She quit her assault on the world around her and placed her hands to her face and let out a breath. Knowing the tears had clearly stained her face, she hoisted herself up and plopped down in the chair in front of her mirror. A harpie grabbed her before she even had the chance to scream. Long fingers wrapped around her throat and applied pressure. Her hands rushed to free her but the grip was unyielding. Blackness crept up in the edge of her vision, but she still clawed madly.
The harpie that held her was unrecognizable but appeared alone. Avery finally moved. Shifting in her chair, she raised her feet and pushed them against the counter. Her weight shifted backward, into the harpie. The sudden and rough movement launched them both backwards. His fingers finally loosened and he stumbled as they both crashed. With a desperate grasp, Avery rushed to correct herself first. She managed to stand and back against the wall, but the harpie still stood before the only exit.
“Help!” she tried screaming instead. The hallway should have been littered with security, but her voice was still broken. “Help me!”
No one came. The harpie still stood between her and her only exit. The closed door would be impossible to reach. His wry smile appeared as he likely traced her thoughts. She braced herself instead. He came at her in seconds. They both collided into the wall. His claws sliced into her arms, but fixed upright by the wall behind her, she raised her foot and slammed her knee into the harpie. Her action earned an infuriated screech but nothing more. The harpie struck and Avery went sliding sideways. She saw stars. Her brain ordered her to reach for the Willow magic, but her body didn’t follow.
The harpie shifted again, but she lifted her eyes to see something else. Seeing her chance, she stood and ran for it. He intercepted her, but by then it was too late. Even with talons snatching at her, she slammed into the window. Only when she stopped rolling, shielding her face from glass raining down, did she regain her senses. And she saw people staring at her. Avery’s heart leapt. The press! They stood just outside. She glanced the way she came. It may not slow him down for long and she didn’t take the chance. Barreling through the harpies, she headed for the front of the capitol building. Ten flights up, Mason would be making his speech. Her feet slid in a hurricane of sand as she stopped herself.
The speech. Something about it made the world freeze and Avery sized up the area. Every branch of media was here and though the island was packed, their attention still remained on the balcony. They kept whispering into their audio devices, talking amongst themselves, and radiating excitement for the commencement speech.
She slammed a hand into her forehead hard enough to rock her world. Why hadn’t she seen it before? She’d known it all along but her brain had never made the connection between what Adalyn had said and today.
They’re going to come for you first. And then Mason.
It’s going to happen the day of the commencement speech.
The attack—through the Kemp tunnels.
Warn him.
The first part had already come true. And she survived when she probably shouldn’t have. But Avery didn’t know if she could even make it to the floor to help Mason in time.
Nineteen
He stood just faintly visible in white and gold. His face turned aside, he kept his attention on someone unseen even while the harpies outside screamed for him. The roar grew louder by the second and threatened to sound out Avery’s thoughts.
“No, no way. I don’t have wings. I can’t fly.” Hands pressed flat to her ears, the pressure in the center of her head grew worse.
“Help me, please. It’s Mason.” She’d grabbed the nearest harpie’s arm. He tore away from her with a dark scowl. “It’s Mason, he’s in danger.”
/> The volume in the area had spiked. Her cries didn’t even pierce the cacophony of voices. The jittery crowd began to press harder to catch an extra glimpse or be another few feet closer. Avery grasped at the harpies she could reach and they all knocked her away.
Losing her balance, her backside smacked the concrete. The jolt ran all the way through her skeleton. She felt her chest churn. Avery sucked in a breath and placed her hand on her chest. She felt a twinge but it wasn’t quite the Willow magic. Avery held onto the feeling. She needed a Plan B. Avery had seen the Kemp tunnels upon arriving to the island. They were built into the mountain and led straight onto the capitol building floor where Mason was about to make his speech. The perfect invasion route for Patrick.
Windswept (The Airborne Saga) Page 15